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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27803344">Tape</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/SuperdogPrince/pseuds/SuperdogPrince'>SuperdogPrince</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Donkey Kong (Video Games), Donkey Kong Country, Nintendo</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>AU, Add more tags as time goes on, Alternate Universe, Loss, Missing, Murder, Mystery, Sorrow, Time Travel, Tragedy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 16:08:59</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,465</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27803344</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/SuperdogPrince/pseuds/SuperdogPrince</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>November 21st is a date that was the anniversary of many things. Donkey Kong Junior’s disappearance, the day Donkey Kong Country Returns occurred where the villains were a now extinct species with an unknown origin, and a horrific event at an island inhabited by Kremlings that led to many fatalities and the island being abandoned. These were all mysteries that never found answers. Donkey Kong III (modern DK), Diddy Kong, Dixie Kong, and Kiddy Kong decided to visit the abandoned island a few hours before Donkey Kong Country Returns 10th anniversary event. They find a tape that will send them back to the year 2000, where all these mysteries could be solved and possibly even altered for better or worse.</p><p>Donkey Kong Country isn’t mine.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Part 1: 2020</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The sky was dark and cloudy, blocking the sunlight and turning this bright midday into dusk, little raindrops drizzled on the Kong, and the ground was soaked in the rain. The air was thick with moisture that brought discomforts to whoever trailed through it. Every once in a while, faint thunder can be heard, followed by streaks of lightning across the sky. The winds caused tree branches to sway in great abundance. There were crashes to the forest floor as branches snap and fall. Silence bestowed upon the creatures of this forest. There wasn't the singing of birds, scurrying of rodents, or the galloping of deer. Donkey Kong III was getting soaked in this gloomy day as he stood in the presence of a wooden banana sticking out of the earth. Back when it was freshly made, it was littered with flowers. Now it was bare except for the wildflowers that infested the meadow it lies. It was still in good condition despite the years it was there, showing that it was still regularly upkeep. Engraved in it was the name of a gorilla that brought Donkey Kong III into this world, Donkey Kong Junior.</p><p>"Where'd you go, dad?" Donkey Kong thought out loud. "Why'd you have to leave us?"</p><p>The rain began to intensify. It was as if the sky opened up into a downpour, or if it was crying so Donkey Kong didn't. Donkey Kong rarely cried, but when his mother broke the news that his father might never be found. He cried. He bawled like a baby. He cried so much that he was suffocating from his own tears. His tears fell so hard that it was like the rain soaking him, a downpour of misery and despair. Through the years, Donkey Kong moved on. Deep inside his soul, however, he was still crying as he did back then. Today marks the 20th anniversary of his father's disappearance. What no better way to commemorate but to visit Donkey Kong Jr.'s memorial.</p><p>"Bye, dad," Donkey Kong said as he turned his back to the memorial, "I love you."</p><p>He left, leaving the wooden banana alone in the rain.</p><p>As he walked with no direction, he pulled out his Nintendo Switch to check the time, 1:00 PM. He has a few hours to kill before he has to go to Donkey Kong Country Returns' 10th-anniversary event. Something he would do anything to get out of. It was different from the other anniversaries, more depressing and mournful. Usually, video game birthdays are fun. Friends and foes push aside their differences aside for a day of celebration and nostalgia. It was a time where many fond memories were made and treasured. Today was the 10th birthday of Donkey Kong Country Returns. People from the human world and characters from the video game worlds will come together. The Kongs and the Tiki Tak Tribe will put their differences aside and celebrate their game. That won't happen and never will. Too many faces were lost in time. Too many faces no longer walk this earth. The world was void of too many faces that makes Donkey Kong Country Returns whole.</p><p>As he came back to the group, he discovered Diddy Kong and Dixie Kong conversing while staying dry under the overhang jutting out of a building. Kiddy Kong was having a blast splashing in puddles and running about unfazed by the stormy weather. None of them noticed DK approaching due to the rainfall obscuring the world like fog.</p><p>"Has it really been ten years since Donkey Kong Country Returns?" Diddy Kong said to Dixie, "it felt like yesterday."</p><p>"Time flies," Dixie said as she watched Kiddy play in a puddle. "so, what were Tikis like? The only Tikis I got to see in person was the Screaming Towers in the Bright Savannah during Tropical Freeze."</p><p>"They were unique," Diddy began as he thought back to his interactions with the species, "so little was known about them. It made them fascinating to me. We don't know if they had personalities, emotions, or anything. We don't know if they were really bad or just misunderstood. We don't even know where they came from. They came out of the volcano, but how did they get there?"</p><p>"We'll never know," Dixie said. "they're all dead now."</p><p>"I know," Diddy said. "It's just that they were so interesting, and now we can't ask them any questions. Heck, we don't even know if they can speak any language or how they communicated. There are so many mysteries involving them that will never be solved."</p><p>"Don't think about it too much, Diddy," Dixie said with a small smile as she tried to cheer him up. "You can't do anything about it now."</p><p>"I know," Diddy said, staring out into the rain and watching Kiddy flail about in the raindrops, "They were villains and all, but do they deserve death? I just wish Donkey Kong Country Returns ended differently."</p><p>"There's a lot of things that we wished gone differently," DK said, butting into the conversation. The gorilla stepped out of the covering the downpour gave him from preying eyes. "There are so many moments in time where you wish you can step back and correct mistakes, loss, tragedy. You can't. Time moves forward whether you like it or not. You just have to live with it. Move on from those tragedies. Life is ugly but could be beautiful as well."</p><p>"When did you act smart?" Dixie asked a bit caught off guard. Donkey Kong III is not the sharpest tool in the shed. Half the time, he was as bright as this rainy, stormy day. He had a banana brain that was hooked on bananas but protective of his family and friends. He's the last gorilla that anyone would've thought to say a speech like that.</p><p>"I'm smarter when I'm depressed," Donkey Kong answered.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"So, what are we going to do to kill time?" Diddy Kong asked as he, Donkey Kong, Dixie Kong, and a tuckered and sleepy Kiddy Kong sat under the overhang patiently waiting for the storm to pass. "We have a few hours before the event."</p><p>The next few minutes were filled with brainstorming and throwing ideas out there while also trying to wake up a sleeping Kiddy. Not waking up the young Kong was easy as he was a deep sleeper. As if him sleeping through thunder so loud that it made the ground shake and the other three Kongs jump out of their skins wasn't enough proof.</p><p>Finally, Donkey Kong threw out an idea that piqued everyone's interest, "There's an island close to the shore called Krocodile Tooth Island."</p><p>'Krocodile Tooth Island? Never heard of it," Dixie chimed in. "Sounds dangerous."</p><p>"Years ago, Krocodile Isle wasn't the only island Kremlings lived. There was this second island called Krocodile Tooth Island. It wasn't as large or well known as Krocodile Isle, but had things that it was famous for like historical places, resorts, military bases, laboratories, Kerozene..."</p><p>"Kerozene?" Diddy interrupted. "What is that?"</p><p>"Kerozene is the largest Kremling to ever live," DK began as he pictured the red giant in his mind. "I went to the island once when I was really young, like five in human years. I never got to see him in person, but I've seen pictures and did research on him as I got older. He's apparently strong and can breathe fire like a dragon."</p><p>"Is he bigger than K. Lumsy?" Diddy asked.</p><p>"Much bigger."</p><p>That made Diddy and Dixie shift uncomfortably; meanwhile, Kiddy was still napping away and having good dreams.</p><p>"Don't worry, Kerozene died along with Krocodile Tooth Island. The island has been abandoned since the early 2000s," DK reassured his friends.</p><p>"What happened to it?" Dixie asked.</p><p>"Nobody exactly knows for sure. It happened on November 21 of 2000."</p><p>"Today is November 21," Dixie realized.</p><p>November 21 is cursed at this point. So many bad things that happened on the same day, different years, but still the same date.</p><p>"There's a lot of mourning for the Kremling species; today marks the twentieth anniversary of the Krocodile Tooth Massacre. The Kremlings are having a memorial event to pay respects to the fallen," Donkey Kong stopped to let that sink in. Everyone knows how cold of a species the Kremlings were. They rarely sulk over tragedies. For them to mourn over this event, it must've been hell on earth. Donkey Kong continued. "I remembered reading articles written about it a long time ago. Survivors described the creatures that attacked the island as musical demons."</p><p>"Musical demons?" Diddy questioned.</p><p>"Nobody knows for sure. The Krocodile Tooth Massacre happened at night and during weather like this. It made it difficult to take photos or video. No one who survived got a good look at the monsters either."</p><p>Silence smothered any further conversation to be had. Diddy and Dixie were each deep in their own thoughts, their minds working overtime to process the information. It was a silence that seemed to go on way too long. Finally, Diddy broke it, "Can we go there? I want to see it. Well, what's left of it."</p><p>DK nodded.</p><p> ..........</p><p>Like DK said, the island was close enough to the shore that it can easily be seen from the mainland.</p><p>On this rainy day, the silhouette just managed to grace lookers eyes. It was fighting for recognition as the rain continued to fall. The storm eased up a bit but was still at an annoying intensity. Its terrain is illuminated by electricity zigzagging across the sky like a light show, breaking the rainy covering and revealing a world lost to time. Ruins of once a bustling Kremling society littered the island's geography. This amplified the chilling atmosphere that radiated from the island ever since the horrors twenty years earlier. It was like a curse that never left, lingering for decades to come.</p><p>The angry ocean full of white froths and watery walls that divided the island from the continent didn't make things any better. A terrifying spectacular display of fury and unpredictability from Mother Nature. Swimming in those swells is a death wish. It also made taking a boat there unfavorable, unless you want to literally sleep with the fishes. This was a sea that even the largest of ships will fear. It is an ocean that can even make Funky Kong hesitate. It reminded DK and Diddy of the time where they got stuck in that storm during Returns, especially when they had to run for their lives from a Tidal Terror rushing towards the beach. The roar of it still haunted the two Kongs to this day.</p><p>"This is Krocodile Tooth Island?" Dixie asked. She tried to hide the unease and creeps she got from this place. It wasn't able to be contained and slipped out in her voice in droves.</p><p>DK just nodded his head.</p><p> ..........</p><p>After waiting a bit, a break in the weather allowed them to cross the waters without dying; though, it was still rather bumpy and felt like a rollercoaster. During the short yet nauseating trip, Kiddy asked, "Can I play in the waves?"</p><p>"No!" the other three Kongs in sync over the rain, thunder, and the waves.</p><p>"Why not?" Kiddy asked, disappointed.</p><p>"Kiddy, you can't breathe underwater," Diddy explained. "You aren't part fish."</p><p>"A fish like Enguarde?" Kiddy interrupted.</p><p>Yes, you aren't a fish like Enguarde. Enguarde breathes underwater. You can't. If you jump in, you could get carried away and possibly drown."</p><p>"I can swim," Kiddy argued.</p><p>"I doubt anyone can swim in that," DK said as he watched the rough waters rock the boat in rhythm and the island getting closer and closer.</p><p>As the four Kongs disembarked and stepped foot on the island, the discontent hit them like a truck. The only one who wasn't uneased was Kiddy. He didn't get why the older Kongs felt the way they did. For him, it was just a new place to explore. It was saturated with secrets that can't wait to be uncovered. There's nothing the youngster loved more than going on adventures. It gets even better when he is with family and friends. His innocence and ignorance is a thing of beauty. A ray of light that will inevitably fade one day when he understands the evils that plague this world. For now, it is shining bright.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>By the way, the reason this came out so quickly was because it was basically done when I posted the first chapter. I was hesitating whether to post the first chapter and I was working on chapter 2 during the decision.<br/>Enjoy.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This is just a chapter centered around world building. The next few chapters are going to center around world building.<br/>Enjoy.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Kroc Resort.</p><p>When DK went to Krocodile Tooth Island with his dad, this was the first place Donkey Kong Jr. took him. His memories from that day was an indecipherable, jumbled mess, the consequence of a memory from a time the gorilla was so young. Some details stick out more than others. What he can recall was that this wasn't the same bustling and exciting vacation spot he went to as a young Kong.</p><p>Where he remembered buildings being, rubble was in its place. Debris consumed the landscape, turning a resort into a junkyard composed of this place's misfortune. The misery of those who once lived here and lost everything they had without warning, lost memories that they will never get back. For many, their livelihoods weren't the only thing taken from them, but their lives. Lives that had dreams, ambitions, friends, and family they loved and loved them, lives that weren't deserving of such fate. Neither did the loved ones who had to grieve. A horrifying and haunting and sad sight indeed.</p><p>The buildings that are still standing suffered. Along with the dust and cobwebs that came with time, water damage suffocated the bottom floors. Windows were broken. Furniture that was once there was missing. The few that remained were broken down and neglected, scattered across the rooms and hallways.</p><p>Pools that were a huge attraction to many were dirty, filled with trash that makes them unswimmable. The water park and amusement park that he went with his father and had a great time in were lifeless. Water damage and debris soaked every corner. There were no screams of thrill and music or movement and lights that came from the rides. There was no water splashing from those sliding down twisting slides and into chlorinated water below. Broken and forgotten, the rides will never be operational again. They will never give faces good memories or anxiety. Places of enjoyment became places of depression.</p><p>How DK and Donkey Kong Jr. got to the island was a ferry. He remembered how there were boats of all kinds, from little sailboats to giant cruise ships, drifting gracefully on the waters and docks. It was a treat seeing the buoyant vehicles travel. Now there won't be anymore traveling. Docks were ruined. Boats were shipwrecked on the earth, boats were sleeping eternally in watery graves being slammed by waves, slowly eroding and rusting away until nothing remains. A ferry caught everyone's eye. It got stranded far inland and in a particular spot. That was the side of a hotel. It was literally touching the building.</p><p>It was all gone. Kroc Resort was gone.</p><p>It is a far cry from the lively resort DK remembered it being.</p><p>But, something doesn't add up. This doesn't look like the work of monsters, but rather it was smitten by natural disaster; even so, there was still something fishy. This region doesn't get tsunamis. Where it occurred raised an eyebrow as well. Kroc Resort was visible from the mainland. Tsunamis form in oceans. DK is clueless about a lot of things and knows that. How could this place get a tsunami? Perhaps the musical demons spoken of were involved. It is not possible to get a natural tsunami on this side of the island, right? Still, why wouldn't anyone talk about it? He didn't find any info about a tsunami. That was a vital detail they left out. Why would they sweep it under the rug? What else are they covering up? Maybe they know more about the musical demons than what's told. Those thoughts bothered the gorilla as he and the other Kongs continued to explore the island. He just wanted to kill time before an event that is just as depressing as this post apocalypse of an island. Now he could help but to go into detective mode. His ignorant mind straining attempting comprehension, searching for answers that are impossible to find. A futile task but something that he won't give up on.</p><p>His head is starting to hurt.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Another world building chapter. I’m not too happy about how his came out.<br/>Enjoy.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>As the gang continued to explore the now abandoned kingdom, Donkey Kong's memories of when he came here with his father are becoming more vivid. Details buried in forgetfulness came into focus, good memories, bad memories, everything in between. It brought about waves of nostalgia. Along with nostalgia was a trail mix of happiness and sorrow. Those days were no longer the same. Memories of that trip got scarred with a sad undertone that stems from loss. Gained root from the loss of a father and the destruction of a thriving Kremling dwelling. It is painful juggling all the flashbacks and the tangle of emotions at once. This might've brought the gorilla to his knees if his friends weren't there. They pulled him away and interrupted an expanding train of thoughts, especially Kiddy. You have to keep your eyes on him like a hawk. There were three pairs of eyes on him, but even that doesn't seem to be enough to contain Kiddy's adventurous spirit. He's a ball of carelessness, naivety, and curiosity.<br/>The disheartening weather began to clear. The last of the drizzling rain has passed. The once loud and proud thunder was nothing but a distant rumble. There's no more lightning the storm could give. The light show was over. The dark clouds began to clear like curtains onstage, revealing a blue sky and a blinding Sun that broke the dimness with its rays. In the increased vision, they spotted an odd sight.</p><p>White, lots of white.</p><p>It covered the forest for as far as they could see. </p><p>Visible from where they stood was a lake. Flanked from all sides by trees, the lake's waters were frozen and still. Also visible from where the Kongs stood was a town. It was intact compared to what they saw so far. The town square had a tree in the middle of it decorated from top to bottom in lights, ornaments, and ribbon. On the very top was a star. It was a pretty sight. The whole place was beautiful as it was surreal and improbable.</p><p>"Snow!" Kiddy cheered and raced over to a strangely located winter wonderland. Krocodile Tooth was a tropical island. Why is there snow everywhere? Did the Snowmads take over part of the island or something? No, DK remembers this place now. This was Frigus Forest. He's not used to seeing it during the winter months. During those months, the climate here turns from tropical to arctic. Nobody figured out why this happens. It was one of those mysteries that will never be solved. When he went here with his dad, it was during the summer months. It was beautiful then, but the place looks even more stunning now that everything had a snowy coat.<br/>As they explored the deserted town, the houses were still fully furnished and didn't suffer that much damage. Most of the damage was from neglect. Some buildings were more damaged than the others, but it wasn't Kroc Resort bad. All the buildings were standing. Though, what interested DK the most was the Christmas tree. It seems so out of season. Krocodile Tooth Isle never saw December the year it was slaughtered into oblivion. They never got to celebrate their final Christmas, Hanukkah, and the other holidays that occur at the end of the year. Yet, they decorated this tree for the last time with such love and care. Some ornaments were handcrafted, some were storebought, but it came together in this display of holiday spirit. It has been twenty years since the Krocodile Tooth Massacre. It has been twenty years since this place went into silence. Despite all of that, the Christmas tree still stands tall and proud. The love and holiday cheer of those who decorated this very tree lived on for generations.</p><p>That spirit never died and never will.</p><p>This tree brought back memories of the first Christmas DK had without his father. It wasn't the same. Donkey Kong bought his dad a present that year. He never got to give it to him.</p><p>Don't cry. Don't cry.</p><p>Donkey Kong has pulled away from his thoughts when he felt something hit him. He turned around to see Kiddy throwing snowballs at everyone. Snowball fight! Donkey Kong's lightened up a bit. He even smiled. His friends, his family always manage to make him feel better.</p>
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